


From Me to You

by ArcHeavyGunner



Category: Zombies Run!
Genre: Art Yuletide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-09-12 23:58:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9096259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArcHeavyGunner/pseuds/ArcHeavyGunner
Summary: Runner Five has lived a hard life, and it's caused her to go a little cold to the world. But when Eugene asks a favor of her, she just can't refuse. Happy Holidays everybody!





	

“Hey! Runner Five! Can you come here a second?” I looked up from my notepad and the list it contained towards the intrusion. I scoured around the town center, or what passed for it. Shacks and tents and old buildings lay in a rough square at the center of Abel Township. Corrugated metal and plywood stood in for roofs and walls in the bombed out and broken down buildings. All casualties of the initial bombing campaign to stop the zombies.

The familiar voice called out again, and this time I was able to locate it; a man was walking towards me. Without another word, he gestured for me to follow him towards an old, worn down shack. A comical amount of cables were running out one of the open windows, snaking either up the building to a large antenna or across the ground, presumably to the impromptu power grid. Before the man spoke again, I knew what he was going to ask; he was going to ask me to find something while I was out, probably cigarettes or condoms, maybe even soap. His face said something different though.

“You’re Runner Five right? I know you don’t know who I am-” he started, his voice deep and cracked, his dark skin standing out against his light red jacket.

“Yeah, I’m Runner Five. And before you ask, I’m not going to be able to find you cigarettes or anything else like that.” I responded, cutting him off. People asked me everyday to find them something, and I had to turn them all down. Running errands isn’t my job.

“I’m Eugene, I run the local radio station? Sam- err, Mr.Yao told me that I could ask this of you.” He looked from one side to the other, like what he was going to ask was absurd, like I would laugh in his face. He leaned forwards and continued to fidget with his hands. He said he was Eugene, which would explain why I knew his voice. Him and his boyfriend Jack ran the radio station, explaining what the building was. The fact he mentioned Sam though was… worrying? No, odd, encouraging even. Eugene lowered his voice and continued, “I was wondering if you could find me something next time you were out. I know you have more important things to do, but Sam said it was okay to ask. There’s this, well, it’s a little shop I want you to, uhh, keep your eye out for.”

“What do you want me to get? It better be small and light, I don’t have a lot of room in my bag, and what space I do have goes quick. Orders from Sam are to get any batteries or the like I see, as well as meds. Y’know, things we actually need.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s light though! I promise. Small too. I just, well, you see it’s really important to me and-”

“Well, what is it?” Eugene leaned forward, his voice even quieter know. He told me what he wanted, it turned my day around. As massive smile crossed my face, I told him I would do my best.

***

I sat in the locker room and looked at the shattered, but still running, clock. My shift was starting soon. I stripped off my clothes and took a hot shower, a privilege only a few get to have. I sat there for a few minutes, thinking about what Eugene had asked me to do. Running errands was more or less frowned upon by the Runners. Sam had said it was okay though, which made it okay in my book. I held my rosary beads close as I prayed, hoping the water wouldn’t be cut off before I was done.

After drying myself off, I walked to my locker and started getting dressed. Sports bra, leggings, jacket. Gloves, elbow and knee pads. Belt, holster, and bag. Every runner had a system, a ritual, whatever they called it. A way to prepare for what could easily be their last hours on Earth, or the hellhole that had replaced it.

I sat in the locker room, clearing my mind, making peace with the world. Just trying to remind myself, reassure myself, that I would get through this run. Runner Eleven entered, and he gave me a nod. He was covered in sweat, his breath ragged, and his pants were bloodied and ripped open at the knee. He caught me staring, and did his best to reassure me it was nothing; that he had just fallen. I knew he was right, that it wasn’t a bite, but I just _couldn’t_ shake the thought. He gave me a pat on the shoulder as he walked towards the showers. Once I heard the water turn on, I left my letter in my locker and walked out into the daylight.

Sam greeted me at the gate with a forced smile. His eyes looked tired. His hands were shaking ever so slightly. He wasn’t getting enough sleep.

“Runner Eleven took a nasty spill out there-”

“I saw.”

“Well, he’s going to be alright. He’ll be out for a week or so, but he’ll recover.”Sam sighed,

and ran a hand through his graying hair, “Just a basic supply mission today Five, nothing special. Oh, you should also know that there’s extra activity out there today, so make sure you have a way out.”

“Make sure you keep your radio on Five. And here is your piece,” he finished, before

handing me a revolver, as well as a small pouch with extra ammo. I toyed with the revolver for a second, inspected it’s blued metal and it’s rubberized grip. I felt more comfortable now with a weight in my holster.

Sam began to climb the ladder to his watchtower, and the town militia readied their rifles. The siren sounded three times, and the the gate opened. My trip into Hell had just started.

 

***

The run had, overall, been pretty boring. Almost no activity, and finding the supplies was easy. But that wasn’t the fun part. No, the fun part came when the horizon stopped being trees and started being buildings. That meant I was close.

Eugene had asked me to go to a store called Lapis, and had thankfully told me where to find it. Right on the Southern edge of the city, on Lincoln street. Fourth building on the left. The whole way had been clear of zombies, or as close to clear as things got around here. Good for me, bad for the settlements up North.

When I arrived at the store, I saw that the whole front was made of glass. Glass windows and glass doors. There goes the breaking in plan; I trigger the alarm and I’m as good as dead. I look around the building, trying to find some other way up. But the walls are too tall for me to scramble up, and there is no ladder. I check the back door, which is unsurprisingly locked. Things just got a lot harder.

Sighing, I walk back past the graffitied walls and sat down in front of the door. I look towards the sky and see that the sun is setting; I only have about an hour left. Sighing, I lean my back against the door… and proceed to fall backwards into the store. The door was unlocked.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Deciding against cursing my luck, I push the door in more and walk inside. The building is dark, but surprisingly intact. Guess there wasn’t a lot of time for looters. I reach over to my shoulder and turn on my flashlight, hoping that I can find what I’m looking for and get out. Immediately I jump behind the counter and look through the glass panels protecting the merchandise. I scrounge and search through drawers and boxes, struggling to find what Eugene wanted. It would be easy if he had only asked for one, but no, he wanted a matching set, a specific set at that.

After searching for what seemed like half an hour, I finally find what I’m looking for once my final pass; a matching set, inside a small felt box for them to go into as well. I reach into the small case to grab the box, but my sleeve gets caught on something. I pull hard and free myself, only to lose my balance and fall into a pedistal displaying a very expensive jewel. As it careens towards the ground, I’m already scrambling to my feet. The glass box slams into the ground and the jewel shatters.

“Shit.”

Alarms start blaring in my ears, piercing the air around me and outside the building. I quickly stuff the box in my bag, and make a run for the door. I slam into it, trying to push it open, but it just won’t budge. I smash my fist against it, hoping it’ll shatter, when I see a horde of zombies approaching. All coming because of that damn alarm. With one last running shove, I break through the door as it falls off its rusted hinges. Only them do I remember it was a pull door. But instead of dwelling on that, I bolt.

I had been running for about twenty minutes when my radio blared to life.

“You’ve got a huge horde of zombies right on your tail Five!” Sam yelled, panicked.

“Believe me, I know Sam!”

“Well I got bad news for you-”

“Oh what now!” I shot back. I could almost see Abel Township. It was so close, just past the next clearing in the woods.

“The door mech broke down. Something with the gears. You’re going to have to stall while we get it fixed.”

“Sam!”

“I know Five, I know! Everybody who knows anything is working on it right now.” I sighed, or as much as I could while running, and picked up the pace. I can’t outrun the horde forever, I can’t go back to Abel, and I can’t double back on my path, so where the hell do I go? And then it hit me. I hooked a left along the path, picking up speed with every step. I vaulted over downed trees and ducked under branches. I could hear the zombies behind me, their growling and screaming getting louder every minute. I kept up my pace, my heart pounding in my chest. My lungs felt like they were going to explode, but I only had one shot at getting rid of this horde.

And that’s when I saw it; the massive walls of New Canton. They had the firepower to deal with these zombies. The guards were yelling out to me that they would shoot before they even saw the zombies. I put my head down and kept running as I heard the barrage of automatic fire towards both the zombies and me. Bullets slammed into the ground and fallen trees around me as zombies fell in piles behind me. A shoot of pain ran through my arm, but I ignored it and kept bolting. I ran next to the massive brick and wooden walls of New Canton, hoping that I would be under their sentries guns.

By the time I could no longer see New Canton, I could still hear the gunfire. But, thankfully, there were no more zombies behind me, and by the time I got back to Township Abel, the gate was fixed. A bullet had grazed my left arm, but it was not a big deal. A shot of morphine and a tourniquet fixed that right up. But instead of heading straight to the locker room and a debrief from Sam, I had something a gift to deliver.

***

“Hello everyone! Welcome back to Radio Abel. On today’s show, we have, well what do we have Jack?”

“Well Eugene, we have a few messages from old good old friend Janine, included another safety announcement. We also have some news from around Britain, and even a little bit from France!”

“Those damn Frenchies survived? I’m impressed they didn’t just surrender to the zombies.”

“Be nice Jack, we may have some French listening in on us! But please, do tell us about the news.”

“Well, as some of you are aware, the gate broke down while one of our runners was out and about. However, they were able to get back safely, and bring much needed supplies to Abel!”

“Supplies isn’t all they brought.”

“Eugene, what are you- What are you holding?”

“Jack…”

“Why are you kneeling?”

“I love you so, so much Jack. You make this hell bearable.”

“...oh god”

“And since I can’t think of a better person to spend the rest of this nightmare with-”

“Jack…”

“Will you marry me?”

“...”

“He’s crying and nodding his head yes everybody.”

“I love you Eugene.”

“I love you too Jack. Now put so music on so I can show you I mean it.”

**Author's Note:**

> Created for Art Yuletide on tumblr


End file.
